This isn’t about ego. It’s about basic professional respect. We all chase the scoop—but when someone beats us to it, we credit them. Simple as that. —30—

Here’s the thing: If you get scooped, you get scooped. Them's the breaks. The ethical move? Acknowledge prior reporting. At minimum, link to it. Better yet, include a line in the story crediting the media that scooped you.

Déjà vu. La Presse used the same excuse after lifting my 2023 scoop on housing minister France-Élaine Duranceau
meeting with an ex-business partner. t.co/ENl7vRXmHc

I reached out to the journalist @cambrondom.bsky.social
and his editor @jeanlouisfortin.bsky.social, politely asking for credit. I received no response from the editor, but the journalist said that since they were already investigating before I published, no credit was needed.

Across multiple articles, JdeM claims *their* investigation “revealed” Augustus’ crimes and his Airbnb empire. While there is a lot of original reporting, some of these stories add nothing new; they are just republishing my story in different words.

Nearly 3 months later, @journaldemontreal.com
runs a deep dive on the same guy. They expand on my reporting but take full credit for the scoop. No mention of my story, which was also published in @pivot.quebec, in French.

The story was wild. Augustus ripped off business partners, changed his name, and now claims $835K/month in Airbnb revenue using fake or poached licenses. Read it here: t.co/Zge0VwFB7w

In Nov, I broke a story for @ricochetmedia.bsky.social
on how 1,500+ illegal short-term rentals in Quebec exploit primary residence licenses. My main example? A man named Michael Alexander Nicolas Roman Augustus and his company, Posh Properties.

Tired of seeing major media rip off my stories without credit. As a freelancer writing for indie outlets, I expect better. Journalism should have higher ethical standards when it comes to crediting. A thread.

An evening filled with magic, sorrow and hope. A slice of Montréal that used to be. 🕊️